leanKitchen » Salad

Hallie’s Grilled Steak & Caprese

leanKitchen — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:49:51 +0000

Today, I officially go on vacation.

When my son was in utero (he’ll be 7 in a week), I took a trip to York, Maine. With the ocean lapping at my toes, and him in my 9-months-pregnant-ginormous belly, he kicked happy and warm in my belly.

I made it a tradition to go somewhere coastal each year in the first week of July ever since.

And that quiet, peaceful sound of ocean waves slapping against the shore have been replaced with shrieks of excitement and laughter, and bags upon bags of STUFF. I’ve literally been packing non-stop, piling the vehicle with everything you never knew you needed on a trip with kids.

That’s why, when my friend Hallie mentioned what she’d had for dinner, I jumped at the opportunity; I asked if she wanted to do me a humung-o favor, and guest blog for me today. She agreed, and since she was having a wonderfully supportive (and enormously delicious!) dinner, I was super-excited to be able to pack longer while SHE did the cooking! So without further ado, here’s HALLIE!

My boyfriend and I have opposite schedules, so it is the rare Tuesday night that we get to spend together. Couple that with the fact that his birthday was a few days ago and we haven’t celebrated yet! So I had to do something special and that’s where steak (he’s a man and therefore likes steak) and caprese salad (he’s a man and will eat whatever I put in front of him) come into play. Note: This is not your regular caprese salad, we do it a bit differently in our house! You will need: tomato, cucumber, basil, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and fresh mozzarella. After marinating the steak (top round of course!) for about 24 hours, I threw that on the grill for about 6 minutes each side for medium-rare. While the steak was sizzlin’ I placed about 5 slices of cucumber, tomato and mozzarella on a plate. Then drizzle 1 capful of extra virgin olive oil and 1 capful of vinegar on top (yes, we are very technical in my household). Sprinkle some fresh (or in our case freeze dried) basil on top and you’re good to go! Super easy and very delicious!

That’s it guys! Doesn’t that look incredible? Yum! Now I’m hungry! And while I’m not sure what she marinated hers in, you can use whatever marinade you like. My go-to is always Italian Dressing.

Now, I won’t be posting any recipes till I’m back on schedule Monday, but I will be sending lots and lotsof food posts to the lK travels section (to the bottom right of this post) as I eat my way up and down the New England Coast!

See you Monday!

HUGE thanks to Hallie!!

Peach Mint Salad

leanKitchen — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:21:58 +0000

Part of why I love summertime so much, is the CONSTANT variety. Right now, in my garden, arugula is running rampant! I harvested some of that, some fresh dill, chives, sage, rosemary, and another green and red leafy head of lettuce. Once I’d brought them inside, I rinsed well (to get the dirt and bugs out), and let that sit on a paper towel with another on top, weighed down with a bowl, to really get all the water out).

Then, I peeled and diced a cucumber and, seeing a leftover peach from the kids snack, cubed that up as well. When I was rinsing off the peach in the sink, though, I saw what really put this salad together- my spearmint plant I’d just watered. I pulled off several leaves, and threw that in the salad as well. I put it all together, took out some cooked (and seasoned with Old Bay) haddock, draped atop, and VOILA! Take a look:

And again:

The kids LOVED the peaches inside. They thought it was so delicious!

Kid approved, supportive, delicious, healthful. I scored a perfect 4 out of 4! Yay!

(Kid number 1 preferred peanuts)

(While number 2 prefered ham…..to be one, that is)

Bacon-wrapped Scallop Salad

leanKitchen — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:30:51 +0000

Have you ever had Scallops wrapped in bacon? Aren’t they DELICIOUS?! I love them, but the only problem is, they’re typically drenched in maple syrup, and that’s not good for a supportive diet!

So I took 1 tablespoon of olive oil, drizzled in a skillet, and slowly sauteed 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Then, I added 1 and a half pounds of small sea scallops, covered the skillet, and let then simmer for a bit till cooked (they’ll be white and milk-colored, rather than opaque and raw looking). They release a bunch of water, hence why I say “simmer.”

Next, when they’re cooked, put scallops in a collander and rinse well. Add 1 tablespoon mayo, 4 slices of crisp-cooked bacon, 1/4 cup of red onion diced, and you’re good to go!!!

Yum!!

Grilled Watermelon, Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad

leanKitchen — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:30:59 +0000

Alright guys, yeah, it sounds gourmet. But I had some watermelon, some arugula, and some goat cheese in my fridge, and..well, this is what happened!

First, I grilled the watermelon. How did I do that? Well, I got a grill pan nice and hot, like I taught you in this post for Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops, and paper-toweled the watermelon dry. I grilled it with weight (see again what I mean in this post for the Pork Chops), and they came out like this:

Beautiful, right??

Then, I made a salad out of arugula, topped with some crumbles of goat cheese, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and topped with the grilled watermelon, cut into chunks.

Here’s what it looks like:

Grilling the watermelon gives it a smoky, muted, almost savory flavor, not like what you expect, but very delicious! This salad isn’t supportive alone, but would be fabulous topped with some seared scallops, or cooked chicken or shrimp. Yum!!

Deveney’s California Slaw

leanKitchen — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:30:02 +0000

Hey folks,

Today, I’m on my way to Providence, RI for a conference, and so I’ve taken advantage of lK’s first-ever guest blogger, Deveney.

Deveney, who I’ve talked about in previous posts, has literally gone (in terms of both kitchen and cooking skills) from “I can’t-even-boil-water” to really getting the hang of things; finding her own way around the kitchen, so to speak. She’s now creating her own recipes.

I’m so thrilled about it, in fact, that when she sent me a recipe she concocted herself, I decided right then and there that she was going to be my FIRST EVER lK guest blogger.

She made a supportive version of coleslaw using a bag of California Slaw (found in grocery stores in the pre-packaged fresh veggies section) which, if you haven’t seen it, is shredded broccoli and cabbage, and minimal carrots.

And without further ado, here’s DEVENEY:

Mix in a bowl:

1 6oz chobani plain non-fat

Dijon mustard to taste (I just did a few squirts)

Honey mustard to taste (about a teaspoon)

Fresh dill and parsley

Ground pepper and sea salt to taste

It was so good, and tastes like regular coleslaw!

I love my slaw drenched in dressing, and with this recipe, you don’t have to feel guilty about eating it that way!

You could also use this to make more of a Waldorf salad too, with apples or cranberries and walnuts.

P.S. Do YOU want to be a guest lK blogger? Easy! Simply Contact Me, and we’ll chat!

Memorial Day Kickoff- FAUXTATO SALAD!

leanKitchen — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:51:03 +0000

In celebration of both the unofficial kickoff to summer, as well as the FIRST lK Meal Makeover radio show on MOO92 (!!), I was charged by Tod n’ Deveney to makeover a classic summer staple:

POTATO SALAD!

Deveney told me how her mom used to make potato salad growing up, and here’s what she had to say:

“My mom used to put dill in it – which I love. Mom used to do potatoes, onions, celery, eggs with mayo and a little Dijon mustard. Top it with…I think paprika – the red stuff! IT WAS SO GOOD!”

In order to lean it out, I first needed to get rid of the carbs and extra calories. To remove? The potatoes and the Mayo! Typically, full fat mayo is fine in moderation, but at the amounts you put into a salad, well, let me put it into mathmatical perspective…

1 Tablespoon of Mayo = 90 calories (all of which are calories from fat).

16 tbsp=1 cup.

Say in a salad you put in 1/2 cup of mayo.

16x.5=8tbsp Mayo.

8Tbsp. Mayo=720 calories.

The mayo alone in the side salad is about half my daily allowance! And the carb content in the potatoes…well, I’m not even going to go there!

Enter cauliflower and Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has 100 calories in an entire 6 oz. container (none of which are from fat!). That’s it! It also shares the same consistency and tang as mayo, NO fat, whereas mayo has 10g/serving (10g per TABLESPOON!), and 18 g. of protein, where mayo has 0. WOW! The better choice option is pretty clear there!

So what I did was put 5 eggs in a shallow pan full of cold water, turned on the stove, and hard-boiled 5 eggs.

I then opened ONE 6-oz container of plain chobani yogurt, cut in a sprig of dill to taste, and stirred some sliced green olives, 1/4 of an onion, 5 chopped eggs, some celery (I used 1 rib), a tablespoon of yellow mustard, and 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard right into the container of chobani. I put in salt and pepper to taste. Some people like pickles in their potato salad (I do!), so the key here is to dump in some of the pickle or olive juice for a kick in flavor!

When it’s all combined, it should look like this:

Next up, take a head of cauliflower, chop it up on the smaller side, and boil it till fork-tender, careful to keep it the same consistency as what a boiled potato would be. Then, rinse with cold water, strain, and put into a bowl, well dried. I actually lined my bowl with a paper towel, dumped it in, then patted dry on top with another paper towel.

Next, combine everything (carefully combining in the 5 eggs that you’ve hard-boiled and chopped), and let it sit in the bowl in the fridge…the longer the better, preferably overnight!

Top with paprika for a classic twist, and don’t be afraid to try things! Whatever your summer potato salad recipe makes SUMMER for you, go ahead and use! Pickles, onions, green onions, red onions, black olives, whatever.

Play, have fun, experiment, and enjoy a long, hot summer, full of family, fun, and BBQ’s

The Thermic Effect: Her 30 Calorie Popcorn vs. my 315 Calorie Lunch

leanKitchen — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:30:39 +0000

Dear Ben,

Today at the office, as I was topping my salad with feta cheese (made with chicken, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and regular Italian dressing, containing 315 calories), my co-worker put her lunch in the microwave next to me; one of my weaknesses, POPCORN.

I commented about how good her popcorn smelled, and she offered some. I said I “couldn’t eat it,” as I was trying to lose fat. She looked down at my cheese and full-fat Italian Dressing salad, and said, “Well MY lunch only has 30 calories, and that’s for the whole bag!”

Now I know all about the thermic effect, and why my lunch of protein, fibrous carbs, and fat was “better,” specifically in terms of fat loss and metabolism but, alas, when put on the spot, I couldn’t think of a rebuttal as to why, regardless of calorie content, my lunch was actually better than hers.

Please help your friend over here at leanKitchen; as you know I’m not a fitness or nutrition professional, though I do understand the premise of the Thermic Effect, I wasn’t quick enough on the draw. How would you have refuted her statement?

Thanks,

Your friend Nedah over at leanKitchen.com

Dear Nedah,

Fat Free is NOT Healthy

“Fatty foods are so bad, don’t eat them or you’ll get fat.” This was/is the thinking that too many people have about fat and what it does, and where it fits in our nutrition. To elaborate, let me share a comparison of two meals with you.

Meal 1 is microwave popcorn that is 99% fat free and only 30 calories. Meal 2 is a cucumber salad with tomatoes, chicken breast, feta cheese, and Italian dressing. If you are attempting to lose fat, at first glance you may believe that the popcorn is a better option. While it is lower calorie and very low in fat compared to meal 2, meal 2 is optimized for fat loss.

Meal 2 is what is called a supportive meal consisting of a lean protein (chicken), and a fibrous carbohydrate (cucumber, tomato). There are no starchy carbohydrates in meal 2, therefore allowing for more fat to be implemented into the meal plan as it has several health benefits and will help you feel full longer.

The fact of the matter is that it isn’t fat that makes us gain weight, rather a combination of things. High amounts of starchy carbohydrates with unhealthy fats, lack of physical activity, overconsumption of food all play a part in weight gain, and gaining fat.

To take in 30 calories for a snack or a meal just isn’t enough for someone wanting to be lean. It is for someone who doesn’t exercise and wants to lose weight, but correct me if I’m wrong, but there are two reasons we lose weight: to look good, and to be healthy.

To be healthy you must have healthy muscles and lean active muscles are healthy muscles. Healthy muscles need nutrients way past 30 calories of a starchy carbohydrate that popcorn is. Healthy muscles need protein, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, water, small amounts of carbohydrates in moderate amounts. If they do not get those required nutrients, muscles will not work effectively, muscles will not become lean, they will lack the ability to work at a high level for exercise, and some muscle wasting will happen (muscle tissue broken down- often mistaken for fat loss). What’s left is skinny fat. Weight loss but no leanness of muscle to speak of. If that is the desired outcome then.

Now let me get back to the fat free foods. Typically these foods are those that require a fatty food to make up the food you are eating, such as peanut butter (peanuts), salad dressing (oil for healthy options), or oil and eggs for mayonnaise. Now when fat is taken out of these foods, something must replace the void that is now present where fat used to be. Typically this is sugar, sodium, salt, or high fructose corn syrup. These items often allow for a food to be lower in calories and low fat or fat free. However, these substitutes are not going to assist you in becoming lean and losing fat. These substitutes will lead to many health issues in the future, and upon that, give you no immediate satisfaction to your body.

If food has fat in it you should consume it that way, as it is in its most natural state. And we all know that natural is going to be much healthier than any other option hands down. Moderate rather than eliminate. Keep your starchy carbohydrates down and lean proteins up with moderate amounts of fat to satisfy your body and muscles for leanness.

Thanks,

Ben Warstler of Ben’s Bootcamps

Quick Pineapple Chickpea Salad

leanKitchen — Mon, 10 May 2010 08:30:55 +0000

This salad was a total concoction of things I had in my fridge, and let me tell you- it WORKED!

DELICIOUS!

I rinsed and drained a can of chickpeas, 1/4 a red onion, 1 clove of chopped garlic, 1/2 a peeled, small cubed cucumber, and about 3/4 cup small cubed fresh pineapple. Top with enough prepared Italian dressing to moisten and flavor, or a drizzle of olive oil, some vinegar to taste, and salt and pepper.

Super quick, and super delicious! Perfect for those summertime BBQ’s (that just don’t seem to be happening QUITE yet, at least not here in NEK Vermont)!

Pansy Salad

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:23:36 +0000

My inspiration tonight was this:

My pretty flower-clad girl

Ok, fine. That was just a cute picture. But seriously, pansies are popping up allll over my yard, and pretty little Johnny Jump-ups. Tonight, I made a salad with mixed greens, washed some pansies that I picked off my yard, added cherry tomatoes, cukes, and some grilled talapia, and made a GORGEOUS, tasty, springtime salad. Pansies are edible, but make sure you use ones that have no pesticides (make sure you grew them yourself), that they’re far away from roadways, etc. so they won’t be covered with roadside chemicals and other yukky stuff.

Here’s the finished product:

Gorgeous Pansy Salad

…and again, just because it’s so darn pretty!!

: Pansy Salad

And for dressing? Maybe you could try this Red Wine Viniagrette that Camron and I made.

Cranberry Chicken Walnut Salad

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:26:31 +0000

This weekend was wonderful! I took an overnight trip to Burlington, and got to try all sorts of wonderful food. I had the most wonderful dinner (escargot with garlic and Gruyère, Petit Sirloin with Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Asparagus, and for dessert, a creamy, delicious, and decadent vanilla bean Creme Brulee) at the Windjammer Restaraunt in Burlington, Vermont. It was amazing. For breakfast this morning, I had another incredible meal, a gourmet treat; the breakfast buffet at G’s Restaurant, also in Burlington. Both highly recommended, fantastic, superb meals!

But on the unexpected journey to Burlington, I stopped at a deli, where they had freshly prepared salads. Trying to keep my food choice supportive, I opted for a Cranberry Chicken salad. It gave me inspiration to come home and try it myself! It was made with onions and mayo, but I did a little bit of a switcheroo, and did a few things different..all I can say is, “Yum!”

First, I took 1/3 cup of dried cranberries (if you can find the ones without sugar at the health food store, use those!), and mixed them into a big bowl with a 6 oz. container of Chobani plain yogurt. This softens/constitutes/plumps the cranberries. Make sure to coat the berries completely so that the plump-up will happen!

Cranberries with Chobani

Cranberries and Yogurt

Next, as always on Sundays, I poached some chicken (3 breasts)and diced it up. I cut up 2 stalks of celery, 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts, salt and pepper, and a smidge of celery salt.

: Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

This was a delicious, supportive treat, with lots of different textures, flavors, and a sweet and salty mix. So fantastic!

To the Windjammer and G’s; thanks for giving me such a food-centric, tastebud-popping, and enjoyable weekend.